Eight lessons for the class of 2011

Delight and despair as Samoa celebrates its Test win against the Wallabies yesterday.
Photo: Anthony Johnson

by
John Eales

On the eve of the Wallabies’ first Test of the season yesterday we had our 20-year 1991 World Cup reunion. To say the evening was a more joyous occasion for us than for the Wallabies the next day is an understatement.

As one of the youngest in the team at the time along with
Tim Horan
and
Jason Little
, I was a sponge – not the type you typically associate with the amateur rugby days, but a sponge for experience and for knowledge.

Yesterday, as the class of 2011 embarked on their campaign with a rusty, imprecise and historic loss to a combative Samoan team, it’s interesting to reflect on some of the relevant lessons from the ’91 victory.

From my perspective here are eight key lessons from 20 years ago that remain relevant today:

One: Respect every opposition. In the opening minutes yesterday, when the Wallabies kicked to touch rather than taking the three points on offer for a penalty goal, they played into Samoa’s hands.

Subconsciously they sent the message that this was a game they expected to win. So when they didn’t leave with points it was a huge fillip for the Samoans. Similarly, in attack they too often moved sideways rather than forward to confront their bustling opposition. There are no short cuts to victory, and there is no victory if at first you do not respect the basics .

Two: Age, experience and reputation don’t matter as much as form. It’s nice to have a mix of youth and experience and big names can be comforting, but it’s more important to have players in form.

Ewen McKenzie
, current Reds coach and tight-head prop from the class of ’91, followed this policy through to the Super Rugby title and it has always been a mantra of Wallabies coach
Robbie Deans
. With most of the in-form Reds rested after their campaign, the Wallabies were left fielding players who had limited success this season.

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Three: Good players will be left in Australia. In the vein of John West’s philosophy, a squad’s strength is measured as much by the players who miss out on selection as by those who travel with the team. In 1991 the unlucky two were Paul Carozza and Sam Scott-Young. On form both could have been selected but the squad’s strength kept them at home. Both starred the following year in the Wallabies’ victories over the All Blacks and South Africa.

Four: Injuries happen. Just as Benn Robinson has been ruled out with an untimely injury, so too was our number eight,
Tim Gavin
.

Gav was among the most important players in our team and it was hard to see how we would excel without him. Three players played in his position during the tournament and in the final his shoes were more than capably filled by Troy Coker.

Five: Someone will seize their moment. Rob Egerton, Marty Roebuck and I debuted in the first 1991 Test against Wales in Brisbane.

Yesterday Rod Davies, Nick Phipps, Sitaleki Timani and Beau Robinson did so. Egerton played all but one of the Tests that year, culminating in the final at Twickenham. He never played another game for Australia.

Opportunity knocks but once; this team will never have another chance to win a World Cup together.

Six: A harmonious and mature squad overcomes the odd internal spat. Expect all high-achieving teams to have their share of prickly and strong-willed characters, with their own opinions and expectations.

The most successful ones encourage a diversity of opinion but never tolerate a diversity of direction. Our coach,
Bob Dwyer
, understood this as he and captain
Nick Farr-Jones
harnessed the team’s potential, rather than hampered it.

Seven: Luck will play its part but great teams minimise the role of the lady. Only the All Blacks in 1987 didn’t have a close shave. Every other champion has. In 1991 it was our last-gasp victory over the Irish when they scored against the run of play to take a three-point lead with only four minutes to play. In the absence of Farr-Jones, the composure of our vice-captain,
Michael Lynagh,
to assess the situation and collate our focus was critical. “We’re going to kick the ball deep, force a lineout in their half, and aim to score a try."

And that’s about how it happened, even to the extent that Lynagh scored the try himself for a one-point reprieve. Yesterday against the Samoans our team was more scattered than composed. When Lynagh-like insight was required, they at times displayed insanity.

Eight: It has to be fun. The words my father Jack would leave me with before I played any game, be it the under 8s or a World Cup final, were: “John, remember it’s only a game. Go out there and enjoy yourself."

Now a World Cup final is more than “just a game" but if you enjoy yourself you will inevitably perform better. Years after Jack died I dedicated a book I wrote with the words: “To my father Jack, who taught me the seriousness of sport and then taught me to not take it too seriously." Find the fun in what you do and you will inevitably perform better.

With some oil run over the joints in the season opener, and with the impending addition of a few key personnel, the Wallabies of 2011 must now step up if they are to enjoy a similarly memorable season.